Automobile-body.



L. C. DUNCAN. AUTOMOBILE BODY. APPLICATiON FILED MAR. 3| I913.

1,139,021. Patented May 11 1915.

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AUTOMOBILE BODY. APPLICATION FILED MAR.3I. 1913.

1 1 39,02 1 Patented May 11, 1915.

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LESTER. c. DUNCAN, 0F. LENIA. IDAHO, ASSIGNOR, B RE T N MESNE I MENTS,,or mun-Taurus. TO CLARENCE r. CAREY, or SPOKANE, WASHINGTON, ANDONE-TENTH. T0 V. A. GREENLEAE, OE SEATTLE, WASHINGTON.

. AUTOMOBILE-BODY.

. Specification of Letters Patent.

Applieatim'r filed March 31, 1.91.3, Qinifllfln. 7,571,252;

1}; all wk 0% it may. concern Be it known that I, Lns'rEn (l. DUNCAN, acitizen of the United. States, residing at Leni-a, in the county ofBonnerand State of Idaho, have invented new and useful Im-' provements.in Automobile-Bodies, of which.

in the particular arrangement and combine tion of partshereinafterdescribed.

In, the accompanying drawings :Figure 1 is a perspective view ofthe-rear portion of a five passenger automobile, as ordinarilyarranged,v but having my improvement incorporated therein. Fig. 2? showsthe bodyillustrated in Fig. 1 arranged, in position to serve asa bed.Fig. 3 shows the rear portion of a seven passenger touring car inperspective. Fig. 4: is a perspective view of the same body shown inFig. 3 but arranged according to my invention to serve as a bed.

Fig. 5 is a sectional elevation-showing the releasing device used incarrying out my in vention. Figs. 6 and 7 are detail sectional viewsshowing the arrangeniel-it of certain parts used in applying myinventionto the body shown in Figs. 3 and 4:. Fig. 8 is a detail perspective viewused to prevent accidental. release of the parts when in normalposition.

Throughout the separate views the same part is designated by the same;reference character.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, l designates the body of anautomobile as a whole, said body being provided with rear side doors asshown at 1212. Saidautomobile body is also provided with a front cushion2 and a rear cushion 8. The back of the front seat is indicated at 10.Said back is upholstered in the usual manner but is hinged to. the bodyof the car as shown at 11 instead of being rigid therewith. It will beunderstood that both of the doors 12 are provided .with blocks 13, shownin Fig. 1, and that the top of the blocks l3 are substantially inalinement with the joint,

between the back 10 and the body of the automobile. Consequently, if theautorio bile ifs-stalled in; the place where there is no access to. ahouse the, back; 10 is turned to the-real: S0 a-S- to; lie; against theupper face oftho blockslig and the cushion 2 is pushedbackward againstthe forward edge of the back 10 so-as to. present an unbroken uphol-Patented May 11:, 1915.

stored surface comprising the cushion 2, the f upholstering on. the back10, and. the rear cushion 3. whleh may be used for a bed.

In order to hold the back 10 in an upright position when ineveryday use,I provide the; mechanism shown in Fig. 5. As shown 1-n1F1g. 5 the back10.- is provided With a central Vertical recess in which. is an uprightmember 17 provided with, a rack 18. Mounted atone side of the member 18in suitable recesses in theback 10 are gear wheels 1919 which mesh withthe rack 18. Suitable links such as 2Q--20 are directly pivoted to thegear wheels 19 and extend outwardly therefrom in opposite directions.Pivoted to the outer ends of the links 20 are horizontal slide rods 20which, are provided at their outer ends with boits 21 which normally fitinto "sockets in the plates 22 which are carried by the side walls; 23of the automobile body. It will be apparent that when the member 17 ispushed downward from the position shown in Fig. 5- that the bolts 21will be withdrawn fromengagement with the plates-22 so that the back 10-may be swung on its hinges 11. In order that the members: 17 andconnecting mechanism may beheld normally in the position shown Fig. 5,the back 10 .is provided with a flange 25 and the upper end of themember 17 is reduced to form a rod 27 on which is a. stop 26.Intermediate the stop 26 and the flange 25 and surrounding the rod 27is. a spring 24 which acts upwardly against the stop 26 so. as to holdthe member 17 in the position shown'in Fig. 5. A head 16 is provided onthe rod 27 which projects above the upper edge of the back 10 so thatthe releasing mechanism may be operated when desired. In order toprevent accidental operation of the releasing mechanismll provide. aslottedslide member 28, best shown in Fig. 8.. Slide member 28 is seatedin. a socket 30 in. the upper edge .of

the back 10 and the prongs 31 of the member 28.norma1iy embrace the rod27 so that it. is

impossible to force down'the head 16 .sufiifold back the member 10.

Referring more particularly to Figs. 4, 5,

6 and 7, it will be understood that in case of a seven passengerautomobile I provide a back 10 and blocks 13" identical with the back 10and blocks 13 of the modification shown in Figs. 1 and 2. It will beunderstood, however, that in case of a seven passenger automobile thereis more room provided between the front seat and the rear, andthat tworemovable seats are usually placed in this space. In order to use suchautomobile ss, bed these removable seats must be taken \Olll] and I haveprovided special means for til-ling this space made by the removal ofsaid seats. It will be seen that in Figs. 3 Eii-Ihdd the rear seat isnumbered 15. At the forward edge of said seat 15 i provide anupholstered member 14 which normally hangs downwardly as shown in Fig.6. The member .14 is pivoted at to a curved bracket and the bracket 36is supported by a'bloclifl37 which is slidably mounted in a slot 88Conthe underside of the seat 15. The mom b yr 14 is also provided with apair of legs 39fi yhich are pivoted to part 14 as shown at 40, 'aJt-theedge removed from the pivot 35. The face of the member 14: which carriesthe pivot'tO is recessed so that legs 39 may fold against said :tace sothat they will be entirely out of the way when the cushion 14. islowered.

In view of the foregoing it will be seen that in order to prepare thebody shown in Figs. 3 and 4: for use as a bed, the removable seats mustfirst be taken out, the back oi the front seat must be folded backward,the cushion lt must be swung up to take the place of the seats whichhave been removed, and the legs 39 must be turned down so as to supportthe cushion 14.

It will be understood that while 1 have shown and described thepreferred form of my invention, changes and modifications thereof may bemade without departing from the spirit thereof, and that parts of myinvention may be used without utilizing the whole.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is i 1. An automobilebody comprising in combination, a seat having a back, hingesconnectingsaid back with the body, and locking mechanism mounted on said back andadapted to hold said back normally in a vertical position, saidmechanism comprising one or more bolt members, means pivoted to saidbolt members, a gear wheel pivoted to said link, a rack meshing withsaid gear Wheel, lined abutment projecting from said back, a stopcarried by said rack, and a spring intermediate said abutment in saidstop adapted to hold saidffniechanism in a locking position. i

2. An automobile body comprising in combination, a seat having a back,hinges connecting said back with the body, and locking mechanismmountcdon said back and adapted to hold said back normally in a verticalposition, said mechanism comprising one or more bolt members, meanspivoted to said bolt members, a gear wheel pivoted to said link, a rackmeshing with said gear wheel, a fixed abutment projecting from saidback, a stop carried by said rack, a spring intermediatesaid abutment insaid stop adapted to hold said mechanism in a locking posi tion, meanswhereby said rack may be operated to release said locking members, and astop adapted to prevent the accidental op eration of said rack.

3. An automobile seat comprising incombination, a fixed horizontalportion provided with a .slot near one edge thereof, blocks slidablymounted in said slot, curved brackets rigid with said blocks, hingescarried at one end of said brackets, a movable portion supported by saidhinges, said portion being normally in a vertical position but saidhinges being adapted to permit it to assume a horizontal, position insubstantially the same plane as said fixed portion, and means forsupporting said movable portion in a horizontal position.

45;. An automobile body comprising in combination, a front seat, a backfor said front seat hinged to the body, means for normally locking saidack in an upright position, rear doors hinged to the body and blockscarried by said doors adapted to support said back in a horizontalposition.

5. The combination of an automobilebody, two seats carried by said bodyand spaced apart, dome-hinged to said body and opening from spacesbetween said seats, and blocks attached to the inner sides of saiddoors, the forward one of said seats being provided with a back adaptedto swing rearwardly and rest on said blocks.

In testimony whereof I aliix my signature in the presence of twowitnesses. 7'

LESTER C. DUN AN.

W itnesses Hanoi Soin'TLnuUnY, EDNA BROYLIJS.

